What’s One Thing You Can Change On Your Farm?

By Jody Wacowich, Executive Director, AgSafe Alberta

We often hear people say after an incident, “I wish I would have done this one thing differently that day.” We also know that approximately 18 people are killed on farms in Alberta each year. 59% are the operator or their children.

Did you know that your industry had has seen an increase of disabling injury claims each of the last three years?

We know that when asked many farms could identify an area where safety could be improved.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE YOUR FARM SAFER TODAY?

In 2020 AgSafe Alberta developed the FARMERS CARE Life Saving Opportunities. Each letter in the acronym stands for a common type of farm injury and comes with information about the risks in each area. As well it has recommendations to keep people safe on your farm.

Recently AgSafe Alberta launched a program to help farms get started with safety on their operations using the FARMERS CARE life saving opportunities as its base. This program features practical and simple ways to help farmers and ranchers seamlessly integrate safety into their day-to-day lives. It is also available online so that it can be completed by the farm when it works for them.

“We are so pleased to make this first-of-its-kind safety program available to farmers and ranchers,” said AgSafe Alberta chair Erna Ference, from her farm near Black Diamond, AB. “We wanted FARMERS CARE to be a simple way to get a safety journey started, while still having a major impact on the way we think about hazards on the farm.”

The program features four levels for farms to progress through. Level 1 begins with identifying that one thing that can be done today to start making a change towards safety. Levels 2-4 are in development but will add on some additional pieces aimed at reducing the risk of harm to your people and keeping your farm sustainable for the next generation. Upon completion of Level 1 farms can order a FARMERS CARE farm sign to show their commitment to safety, as they complete each level they will receive a sticker acknowledging their accomplishment. This program will benefit both family farms and farms with employees*. We think that this program will create some great discussions about safety on your farm team. You can get started today before the busy spring season arrives. AgSafe Alberta also continues to offer our advisor program, and our 1-833-9AGSAFE (924-7233) hotline in case you have questions or need support with an incident.

You will find more information about FARMERS CARE on our website at www.ags

What one thing will you change today?

(*Note: completing Farmers Care does not provide the due diligence that may be required by OHS in the case of an incident on your farm. Please reach out to AgSafe Alberta at info@ agsafeab.ca to find out how to further develop your safety program).